This question may be almost trivial. Initially I have been running into sales on Apple Barrel brand acrylic paints (2/.99). They have been mentioned here. Delta Creamcoat is mentioned almost constantly here. Am I buying an inferior paint?

And, .. should I be concerned about brands of chalk? I do recall seeing, "Rembrandt" mentioned. (the thought of working with chalk worries me)

Dennis,There is no difference in quality between the different brands of craft paints that I know about.Some are thicker than others and may require thinning.I use blue windshield washer fluid which is a tip I learned here on the forum to thin the paints.

As for chalks there is nothing to be worried about.I have used Rembrandt and other brands and they all work.I do prefer Rembrandt.The nice thing about chalk is that if you put it on dry and do not like it you can brush or wash it off and start again.I use a mix of alcohol and chalk to make a slurry that I apply and the alcohol seems to hold the chalk in place.If I do not like the results I use straight alcohol to remove the chalk.Of all the things I have learned on this forum the use of chalk has been the most valuable to me.

Dennis, for most uses there is very little difference between Apple Barrel and Ceramcoat. I use both all the time. The main difference, I think, is that the pigments in Ceramcoat tend to be more finely ground than other brands and it's easier to airbrush as a result and get a smoother finish. (We had quite a discussion on this forum about 2 years ago about airbrushing craft paints. It was pretty much the consensus that Ceramcoat airbrushed better than the other brands.) But for brush painting, dry-brushing, etc., either brand works just fine.

I really like Rembrandt chalks and have been using them for several years. However, I also use Alpha-Color's "Earth Tone" set extensively. You can usually find it at art supply stores. The "Earth Tone" set has a full range of oranges and browns that work well for weathering.

I regularly airbrush with both Apple Barrel and Folk Art paints. Both brands are made by Plaid. I have no trouble with either. One difference I have noticed is Apple Barrel is thinner than Folk Art. Folk Art can at times have the consistency of wet toothpaste. What this means is I thin Apple Barrel less than Folk Art. I use Folk Art and Apple Barrel because in my area they are more available than the Creamcoat in the colors I need.

Angela, Tom is usually involved with the kid's activities on weekends, so I'll give you a quickie answer for him. He will probably see this and correct me or fill in the details later. If I'm not mistaken, he uses a 2:1 ratio (paint:thinner), with blue windshield washer fluid being the thinner he prefers.

George, windshield washer works quite well as a thinner. I have also read about - but not tried - Windex as both a paint thinner and airbrush cleaner for acrylics. If you want to go the "straight" route with the Ceramcoat brand, they make both a thinner and a brush cleaner specifically for their paints. Obviously, it's a lot more expensive than buying a gallon of windshield cleaner, but it is formulated for the carrier and pigment grind of Ceramcoat. I recently used their thinner with Folk Art's Barnwood to make an excellent wood stain.

Thank you all for your advice and answers. I like to air brush but hate the cleanup afterwards and don't the enamels because of the odor. I don't have anywhere to airbrush anything except outside so have to do any of that stuff in the warmer months. I am very much a novice at airbrushing but like the look of it.Angela

Paul, I also use it for both airbrushing and brush painting. Another good use for the WSW fluid is to make stains from acrylic paints, which can then be used to represent faded paint on wood structures or for additional weathering.

About 3 years ago, Tom and I had one of the original discussions (on RR-L, anyway) about the use of WSW fluid and airbrushes. It was a pretty extensive dialog, as I recall. I don't remember now exactly where the thread is, but it's most likely on one the "back pages" of the HO "Mid-Scale" forum. It might be worth your time to look it up, if you're interested in the subject.